the history of kyle yates

When Fort
Myers' Kyle Yates competed against some of the best pickleball players in the
country two years ago, he was "not even close." Last year,
he made big strides. This time around, Yates is among the elite. The Cypress
Lake High graduate captured the bronze medal in men's singles, the silver in
men's doubles and finished fourth in mixed doubles at the Tournament of
Champions in Brigham City, Utah. He earned $1,500 in prize money. "This
is a big deal," said Yates, the youngest player by six years. Pickleball
has been gaining popularity in the United States and beyond. The sport blends
tennis, ping pong and racquetball on a badminton-size court. While it
has been popular with older players, younger players like Yates, 20, have been
drawn to the sport.In 2016,
the US Open Pickleball Championships will be held in Naples from April 26-May
1.

Better
players also are getting a taste of pickleball. Among those finishing ahead of
Yates were national singles champion Daniel Moore, currently living in Japan
and Marcin Rozpedski, a former Davis Cup player from Poland.With prize
money being involved, you're going to see better and better players," said
Andy Gutierrez, Yates' coach. Gutierrez
has gotten Yates into Insanity, which are hardcore DVD workouts. He also has
drilled with him. "When
he started traveling last year at 19, he realized he could play with
them," Gutierrez said. "I coached him and told him he could play
against older athletes. He's really matured in the last year." Yates said
a variety of factors have led to his quick improvement. His shape
definitely proved to be a key in playing 26 matches, most of which were 45
minutes to an hour, over a three-day period. "I was
in the hot sun from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day," Yates said. "You
don't have a lot of breaks. You'd sit for about 10-15 minutes, that was your
only time to eat. After it was over, I was mentally and physically
exhausted."Yes, he
also improved from practicing. Working with a machine has helped his backhand
while he's worked on other parts of his game. However, he
said what's helped most is he's enjoying the game more and not putting pressure
on himself, which he thought led to stress as well as cramping in the past."When
I put a lot of pressure on myself to win and expected to win, it created
pressure, nervousness," he said. "And I don't play as well. I also
had muscle stiffness. Stress can take its toll."I've
made an effort to appreciate being able to do this and playing to have fun. I
had just as much fun in the matches I lost." That hasn't
happened much. Before
Utah, Yates won six golds in seven events in three tournaments in Michigan,
Indiana and North Carolina. "I've
won more golds and silvers and bronzes combined," he said.